


Perks of Being Traded

by msrogersstark



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Fiction, Love, M/M, a bit of marc/kris but not a lot, trade
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-16
Updated: 2013-08-27
Packaged: 2017-12-15 05:29:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/845853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/msrogersstark/pseuds/msrogersstark
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jarome Iginla has always had a crush on Sidney. He manages to get traded to Pittsburgh. Comedy ensues. Angst. Angst. Angst.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Trade Deadline

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this because there was nothing under this tag. It's sorta just a thrown together thing. Only Chapter 1 is up so far and I'm super busy with projects so I'm not sure when I'll add to this. Comments are appreciated!

“Would you please just let me answer my other call?” Jarome said angrily.

“Fine” Jay huffed “Make it quick”

Jarome clicked off his call and pressed the button to answer the incoming call.

“Hello?”

“Hey it’s Sidney”

 _Oh_ Jarome thought, heart jumping slightly

“Hi Sid” He swallowed, happy that he kept his voice from raising to high.

“Are you busy?

Jarome thought back to his phone call with Jay. “Since I have to be...”

“Ah trade deadline?”

“Yes” Jarome sighed, walking into the kitchen to grab a beer

“A little birdy told me you were considering the Penguins”

 _Try the entire media.._. Jarome though angrily “Well he said correctly”

“Any chance you need a bit of convincing?”

_No. Any chance I get to play hockey with you I’m not going to pass up on._

“Depends”

Sid was silent for a second and then said “Well I have some reasons. One in particular”

“Shoot” Jarome said, mind straying towards his unfortunate call on the other line

“I need a roommate”

Jarome’s heart skipped a beat. _Could Sid know about his unfortunate crush?_

“And I think you’d be a good roommate. I mean... you’re really nice and organized and yeah...” Sid added.

“I think... I think that sounds good.”

Jarome swore he could hear Sid’s smile through the phone

“Look Sid... I’d really love to talk... but”

“Jay’s on the other line. I know. Good talking to you” Sid finished.

“Yeah. You too.”

Jarome switched back to the Jay phone call. “My mind is made. I’m going to Pittsburgh”

“Are you sure Jarome?” Jay said “I mean there’s...” He said more but Jarome’s mind was somewhere else. _Of course I’m sure Jay. It’s the Penguins. It’s Pittsburgh. It’s_ Sidney.

“Yes I am very sure.”

Jay sighed “Alright Jarome. I’ll figure out an offer.”

Jarome hung up. He was done with this trade rumors and negotiations and lack of sleep and stress. Now all he had to do was sleep and let his agent handle the money.

Does ur offer still stand? Jarome texted Sid.

The reply was almost immidiate. Of course it does ;) See you soon Roomie.

Jarome turned off his phone, thankful for the quiet. In a matter of days he’d be in Pittsburgh playing with Sidney Crosby, not to mention living with him, and he’d be that much closer to his goal.  


	2. Pittsburgh

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jarome flies to Pittsburgh and some angst ensues. ANGST!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow thank you for the lovely comments! I really appriciate the feedback. This chapter has more of Jarome's feelings and also some new ones for Sid. YAY!

The plane landed in Pittsburgh just before midnight and Jarome was tired. Very tired. His nerves had gotten the best of his one goo nights sleep and he was stressed beyond belief. He was suddenly very thankful for his nexus pass through the congested lines of customs and security. As he stepped through the doors to the airport lobby, someone caught his eye. A young man with scruffy black hair which curled slightly over his forehead, dressed in a Penguins tracksuit carrying a bag in his hand. No it wasn’t Harry Potter. It was Sid. Jarome smiled at him and walked quickly through the baggage drop off.

“What are you doing here?” Jarome started and then blushed _great way to start this off_. “I mean how did you know I...” _C’mon finish your sentence_ “Um...Hi”

Sidney smiled softly “I just figured you’d rather not have to navigate a foreign city in the dark. And hello”

Jarome blinked “Um... Thanks” _Crap now I’m stuck in a car with him_

“And besides” Sid continued on “I was going to wait up for you anyway. It just made sense to be here.”

Jarome nodded.

“And I’ve got your bags right here” Sid smiled bigger. “Ready to go?”

Jarome mumbled “Um yeah but first... washroom... be right back” And half ran half walked towards it.

****

Jarome took deep breaths. He needed to get his act together and quickly. There was no way he could be living with Sidney in his current crush state. He either needed to get over it quick or make a move. Neither seemed like a very good option.

****

Sidney was forced to blame Jarome’s lack of attention and words for that matter on need of sleep, nerves or something like that because he wasn’t going to get his hopes up that Jarome may have a crush on him. Because that was impossible. Jarome was older than him. 10 years older. You don’t just date a guy who’s 10 years older than you. You don’t even date a guy in general if your agent has anything to say about it. And why would a guy who was that much older than him, good looking, and talented and other stuff (Sidney had a list) want to date him? Sid was sure they wouldn’t.

****

When they reached Sidney’s house, Jarome had convinced himself he would tone down the feelings. Make them a little more subtle. Apparently someone hadn’t told his boner. He insisted to carry his bags inside, saying Sidney had already been a gracious host. And even though that was true it was more to hide the tent formed in his pants.

 _God I’m so screwed_  Jarome thought.

They walked up the winding flight of stairs to the second floor.

“You’re room is over here” Sidney said dragging the one suitcase he’d managed to convince Jarome to let him carry.

“Thanks Sid. I really appreciate it.”

Sidney just smiled and pushed open the door to the bedroom.

Inside was a queen sized bed draped in a navy blue bedspread. The room was roomy and the walls painted also navy blue.

“Once you get settled,” Sidney said, watching Jarome take in the room “We can go shopping and buy furniture and paint and stuff to change it if you want.”

“This is really great Sid. Thank you.”

“Well I know you must be tired” Sidney said, wanted to leave and let Jarome sleep but also wanting to climb in bed and sleep with him.

“Yeah...” Jarome mumbled, blinking.

Sidney took it upon himself to be the adult in the situation (even though Jarome was 10 years older) “Bathroom’s down the hall swing a left, there’s food in the fridge if you’re hungry and pratice is at 1:30 tomorrow. I’m aiming to be there at 1:00 so we’re leaving at 12:30. Night.”

Sidney closed the door and left Jarome alone to his thoughts and his buldge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok guys so the chapters coming up may include smut but I have no idea how to change the story's over all rating. So if you could A) tell me how to do that or B) Just be prepared that would be awesome. Thanks :)


	3. Meeting the team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sidney and Jarome meet some of the team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I didn't update faster. I ran into writers block, a frequent problem for me.   
> Reviews are awesome and I hope you like this.

When Jarome walked into the kitchen at 10am, Sidney was already sitting there watching last night’s highlights on the TV.

“The Flames won.” Sidney informed him.

“Oh good. Uh, thanks.”

“There’s a protein shake in the fridge for breakfast and I thought we could bring in something for lunch.”

Jarome went to the fridge and grabbed the protein shake, taking a sip.

“This is really good!” He exclaimed, walking over to the couch where Sidney was sitting.

“Tazer taught me at the olympics.” Sidney explained.

“Have you talked to him recently?”

“I try to.” Sidney sighed.

“But?”

“Let’s just say his boyfriend is protective.”

“Boyfriend?”

“Patrick Kane.”

“Figures.” Jarome said, turning to the tv.

 

Jarome hefted his bag higher onto his shoulder as they walked into the arena. Sidney was walking a little bit ahead of him and Jarome had a perfect view of his ass. Sidney turned around and smiled at him, catching his eyes. Jarome blushed and smiled softly at him. Sidney opened his mouth to say something but they reached the entrance to the rink and were enveloped by press and Sidney’s teammates. Jarome was asked thousands of questions and he needed to get ready. But he wasn’t worried. Sidney was only ever a few feet away from him. Their eyes kept meeting and Sidney didn’t look away. The press was a welcome distraction despite their eagerness to find out why he had come to Pittsburgh over Boston. Apparently it had leaked out that Boston had offered him more money for more years and his PR people hadn’t quite managed to reach him with their story yet. He figured that the only thing to do was to tell the truth because it wasn’t as if it was a bad thing.

He simply answered with “I came to play with Sidney.”

Even though Sid tried to hide his face, Jarome didn’t smile that covered his face at those words.

 

When they finally made it through the press in the lobby, Jarome was beyond relieved that the dressing room was press free and surprisingly player free.

“Where is everybody?” Jarome asked

“Today’s practice is optional. I just figured you’d want to come by and check things out.”

Jarome nodded. There were only a few other people in the dressing room. They joked with each other, until Sidney cleared his throat gesturing discreetly to Jarome who was sitting across the room.

“I’m Kris.” One of the guys said.

Jarome felt that this whole introduction thing wasn’t really necessary considering he’d been playing hockey with or against these people for years.

“I’m Jarome.”

“That’s Evgeni or Geno for short.” Kris said pointing to Malkin who was sitting near Jarome. “And that’s Pascal and Brooks.”

Jarome looked in their direction and smiled.

“Um yeah, I’ve played against you guys.” He said.

“And I’m sure you’ve met Sidney.” They all exchanged a glance and Sidney blushed deeply.

“Well yeah, he’s my roommate.” Jarome said, looking at his equipment.

“Mm right.” Kris said.

They dressed in silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I have now ended up with 3 stories with multiple chapters and multiple characters and I'm going away for about 3 weeks, my updates will be less frequent. However, I'll try to update things when I can, not sure how often that will happen. Thank you.


	4. The Practice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jarome experiences his first Penguins practice and his first Sidney problem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Reviews are awesome. I also think I know where this is heading. Maybe.

Once they were on the ice, Jarome realized the difference that comes with playing on a new team. Sure, he’d felt it when he first joined the Flames. He had chemisty with the other players on his team. He could admit that his level of chemistry with his old teammates was nothing close to Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews who were practically one person with two different personalities. Almost no one in the league had that kind of chemistry. However, Jarome was feeling confident. The world (and apparently Ray Shero) had seen this apparent on ice chemistry with Sidney Crosby. And here they were, the Golden Goal scorer and his passer. It was true what he’d told the media. He knew right where Sidney was on the ice. He didn’t even have to look. If he had a chance of matching Toews and Kane’s chemistry, it was with Sidney.

 

As he’d expected, Coach Bylsma had given him a slot on the top line, playing on Sidney’s right side. However, they didn’t quite connect. If Jarome picked his head up to look at Sidney, the puck would completely miss his stick because Jarome was stuck in Sid’s eyes. Sidney wasn’t exactly helping, he didn’t even try to look away even though he knew he kept missing the puck.

Jarome excused himself from the drill for a waterbreak and took a few calming breaths. He was a professional hockey player for heaven’s sakes. He knew how to play with people he found cute. It had happened before. But he had to get this one under control. He couldn’t afford his play being compromised by his feelings. At this point, being as old as he was, he couldn’t afford to ‘lose his touch’ or at the end of his contract here he’d end up on some AHL team playing who knows where.

 

The practice from then on was more scrimmage style and he was on a line with Sidney again. This time he was going to prove that he could actually play on a line with Sid. He kept his word too. His passes connected with Sidney’s stick everytime and Sidney had managed to co-ordinate himself so that his shots went in the net and his passes hit Jarome’s stick. When they weren’t head-over-heels, they were perfect. Nearly unstoppable. Sidney wished they could have that chemistry off the ice.

 

When the practice was over, Jarome was exhausted. He hadn’t slept well the night before, despite his pre-bed rituals, which were quieter than normal. And now almost everything hurt. He pulled off his helmet, rubbing at the lines it left on his forehead. Sidney was talking quietly to Geno but everyone else was watching Jarome. He gave them a quick smile before shedding his penguins practice jersey. Jarome found himself slightly missing his more colorful Flames outfit. But he was here to win the cup, and help the team as well. He’d played with Calgary for 17 years and led them to one Stanley Cup final where they lost. They didn’t need him anymore. All he did for them was score goals. They needed depth and defense and everything he didn’t think he was doing very well. Pittsburgh gave him the chance to do what he did do well. Connect, play make, score and be a regular player. They had a strong leader in Sid, good assistant captains. Good depth, good scorers, good defense, relatively good goaltending (although in Jarome’s opinion, no one besides maybe Brodeur or Luongo were better than Miikka Kiprusoff). They had stellar coaching and general managers and everything. And they might win a Stanley Cup.   

 

Jarome changed quickly and the boys’ eyes turned back to themselfs, chatting to their neighbours. He waited patiently for Sidney to finish changing, checking his phone. There were some congratulatory texts from his former teammates. 3 were from Alex Tanguay and 2 from Mike Cammalleri. He’d get to those later. He lifted his eyes to check on Sidney. He was surprised to find that Sid was sitting there watching him.

“I can meet you in the lobby.” Sid said quietly. “I’m thinking about things which is slowing me down. It’s probably more comfortable out there.”

“I’m fine here.” Jarome replied with a small smile “Take your time.”

Sidney went back to working on his skates, fingers stumbling over the laces. He was really out of it and Jarome thought back to the practice. None of the hits Sidney had taken would have been hard enough to bring back his concussion. Jarome knew that for sure.

“Is your head bugging you?” He asked anyway, better safe than sorry.

“No” Sidney said softly “I’m just thinking about captain stuff. You know.”

And Jarome did know. He wasn’t the only one either. When he’d played for the Flames he had his on and off assistant captains but he was lucky. Mark, the one assistant captain that never left, was his go to guy. If something bugged him, they would talk about it and figure out a way to get it better or just remove it from his current thoughts. It was one thing for him though. He was older than many guys in the league with more years of experience in hockey than Sid had in life. He’d moved into the captain position with the Flames because they needed a veteran to lead their team. But when you’re the youngest guy on the team and you get shoved into a captain position and expected to lead a team to somewhere they’d never been before, it wore you down. He’d seen it with Toews when they’d played together in the Olympics. Neither of them had been the captain of that team but Toews still fought himself on every bad play and even on the good ones. He’d seen Sid do that too. They constantly tore themselfs down because a) they were both horrible about explaining their feelings to others and b) because they were used to taking blows from the media when they messed up. Both Tazer and Sid were in the same boat. They were expected to show the leadership of a 30 year old when they were both not even old enough to drink. Both of the young stars had been brought in to save or at least substantially aid the stars on their teams. And that they’d done. The ‘hawks and the Penguins were two of the best NHL hockey teams now. However, praise is not easy found through media and Sid and Johnny were constantly being torn apart by the press and the fans even though they were two of the best centermen to ever play in this league.

Jarome was jarred from his thoughts when Sidney spoke.

“Ready when you are.”

“Right.” Jarome stood up, hefting his bag over his shoulder and following Sidney out of the room.

 

When they got home, Jarome changed in his room into an old Flames tee and some black sweats. Walking out into the kitchen, he saw Sid bent halfway into the fridge. When he surfaced, he was carrying a plastic waterbottle. Jarome took in his appearance. Sidney had changed into a black underarmer shirt and a pair of dark runners shorts. He was bouncing slightly on his toes, feet covered by Nike runners.

“I’m going to work out. I was going to invite you but I figured you’d want to relax, since it’s your first day here.”

Jarome nodded, leaning against the counter.

“You do know we just had practice right?” Jarome asked, not trying to interrupt what Sidney thought was best but also a hint of concern in his voice.

“Yeah. And I need to go clear my head.” Sidney replied. “Help yourself to anything you want and I should be back in an hour.”

 

Jarome settled on the couch, grabbing the tv remote from the coffee table and flicking the tv on. He supposed that he should watch ESPN but he couldn’t bring himself to. Instead he flipped to the Big Bang Theory and, realizing that he’d already seen the episode, he pulled out his phone to finally reply to the texts he’d received.

 

 **How’s the ‘steel city’?** That was one of the ones from Alex. The next read **Have you hooked up with Crosby yet?**

 

 **Good** He replied to the first and said **None of your business** to the second.

 

Michael’s first message was relatively similar to Alex’s first. However the second one simply asked if he’d gotten Mark Messier’s autograph yet, which, since he hadn’t met the owner yet, was a definite no.

 

Alex’s reply as quicker than normal **Well did you? C'mon dude, we all know you have the hots for Sid.**

 **No I haven't hooked up wit him yet.**  Jarome sent back hesitantly.

 **Well dude what are you waiting for?** was the response.

 _How about some actual interest from the other party?_   Jarome thought and didn’t reply to Alex.

 

He was sprawled on the couch when his phone beeped to tell him it’d been an hour since Sidney had left (no he hadn’t set his phone to make sure Sidney wasn’t overdoing himself. Ok maybe had). He sat up, pulling on some shoes and asked Siri what the nearest gym was.

 

Once he found the gym, he pushed open the door and saw that Sidney was running on the treadmill, hair matted with sweat and leg muscles straining. As Jarome walked around the rest of the equipment to find the treadmill, he noticed none of them were on, nor was there any evidence that they’d been used in the past hour.

“Have you been running on this the entire time?” Jarome asked, when he reached Sidney, and a quick look on the display of the machine showed that he was correct in his assumptions.

Sidney nodded, too out of breath to respond verbally.

“Don’t you think it’s been enough time?” Jarome asked.

Sidney shook his head this time and managed a few words “Still can’t stop thinking.”

Jarome turned off the treadmill, steadying Sidney when he pitched forward at the lack of movement. They both stood there, listening to the sounds of Sidney’s heavy breathing.

 

Once he could respond Sidney said “What the hell did you do that for?”

“Pushing your body farther than you should isn’t the only thing to take your mind off of things.”

“Warning next time would be nice.” Sidney stepped off the treadmill.

“If I’d warned you, you would have said no.”

Sidney considered that for a second before nodding and grabbing a towel from rack near the bathroom.

“Shower and then I’m taking you out for dinner.” Jarome said.

“Uh.” Sidney said, rubbing his hair with the tower. It curled slightly at the edges.

“It’s the least I can do for all you’ve done. And we can even see a movie after if you want, it’ll help clear your mind.”

“If it’s a comedy and not an action movie then I’m in.” Sidney said, heading towards the showers. “I’ll meet you back home.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sid and Jarome go to the movies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoy this chapter :) Reviews are awesome.

Jarome spent 20 minutes on picking the right outfit. While Sidney was in the shower, he dressed and undressed almost 3 times before deciding on a pair of nice jeans and dark polo shirt, slipping on his Flames jacket. He didn’t really have any hair so that wasn’t a problem. He pretended not to notice that the shower was off 15 minutes before Sidney emerged from the bathroom. Sidney was dressed in a deep blue polo with matching jeans and he’d blown his hair dry and gelled it so it spiked slightly in the front.

“You ready to go?” Jarome asked when they met in the kitchen.

“Sure.” Sidney smiled softly.

“We have a couple of hours to get food before the movie starts.”

“I brought some money.”

“I told you I was paying.”

Sidney looked at him “There’s no way I’m letting you pay for dinner and movie. Besides, I love getting food at the movies.”

“Fine.” Jarome huffed.

“And I’ll drive.” Sidney said, grabbing his keys off the counter.

Jarome followed him out the door and into Sidney’s car, settling in the passenger seat.

“Did you make reservations or should I just go somewhere?”

“I made reservations at Avenue B. It sounded nice, and it seemed private enough.”

Sidney raised an eyebrow at that.

“I mean so that we aren’t interrupted.” Jarome added. _So that I can just see you and no one else._

“Right.” Sidney turned the corner.

 

They pulled up at the restaurant, and Sidney let Jarome out first before going to park.

“Reservation for 2” Jarome said when the hostess asked. “Should be under Jarome.”

“Right this way.”

She led him along towards the back of the restaurant, setting the menu’s down on either side of the booth and leaving him to his thoughts with a smile.

 

Sidney parked the car behind the restaurant and took his time walking in. Jarome looked really good tonight and yes, Sidney had dressed a bit nicer than normal to impress him but it wasn’t like Jarome would notice that. It was really nice of him to pay for their meal but it wasn’t necessary. It wasn’t like Sidney couldn’t afford to buy dinner for two people.

When he reached the restaurant, he was directed back to where Jarome was leafing through a menu.

“Hey.” He said, sliding into the booth on the opposite side of Jarome.

“Hi.” Jarome smiled, flipping back to the appetizers.

“Did you find anything interesting?” Sidney asked, looking through the menu. He needed something to drink, but he happened to be the only one of the two of them who knew their way around Pittsburgh and therefore, he was not going to drink alcohol tonight.

“I’m not too hungry, especially for the movie so I thought I’d just order an appetizer. But the desserts look so good.”

Sidney smiled “We have a game tomorrow night. Keep that in mind.”

Jarome frowned. “You’re going to eat something healthy aren’t you.”

“I’ll have a salad probably. But I’m not stopping you from having something else.”

The waitress came by.

“My name is Carmen. Can I guys start you with drinks?”

“I’ll just have water please.” Sidney said with a smile.

“Uh,” Jarome flipped through the menu again. “I’ll just have water too.”

The waitress left with a promise of returning soon to take their menu.

“I thought you drank.” Jarome said, closing his menu. “I’ve seen beer in your fridge.”

“I do.” Sidney said, playing with the edge of the menu. “I just don’t drink and drive.”

“One beer isn’t going to cause problems.”

“No. But I don’t want to risk it. Besides, I’m the only one who knows my way around here.”

Jarome nodded and the waitress brought them their drinks.

“I’ll have the Wedge Salad.” Sidney said, handing his menu to the waitress.

“I’d like the Ahi Tuna wraps.” Jarome requested, also handing his menu to the waitress.

She left them alone after that, only returning to bring the food.

They ate in silence, each enjoying their food. When they’d finished their salads Jarome said “Will you share a dessert with me?”

“We’re going to a movie where we’ll eat snacks...”

“Will you share a dessert with me?” Jarome repeated.

“Yes.” Sidney said with a smile.

The waitress returned for their dessert order.

“Well split the Ice Cream brownie thing.” Sidney said intelligently.

She just smiled at him and scribbled it down on her pad before walking away.

“What movie are we going to see?” Sidney asked, straightening his shirt.

“Well we have three options that all start with in 10 minutes of each other. Despicable Me 2, Grown-ups 2 or The Heat.”

“Despicable Me was a great movie.” Sidney said, “Let’s see the sequel because it will be silly enough that I can just focus on it.”

“That one starts at 8:15.”

The dessert arrived and they both dug in, spoons occasionally clinking together which made Sidney smile and Jarome didn’t know why but he now moved his spoon to hit Sidney's on purpose to keep that smile.

When they’d finished, Jarome stood up to go and pay while Sidney gathered himself together and pulled the car around.

“Thank you.” Jarome said, when he got into the car.

“No, thank you.” Sidney replied, pulling out of the parking lot and towards the movie.  “That food was good.”

“It was.”

“I’m really enjoying myself.” Sidney said. _I haven’t been out like this since my concussion. No one wants to risk getting me hurt._

“Me too.”

They pulled into the parking lot at the movies. It was dark out now even though it was only 7:45. Jarome stopped to buy tickets while Sidney went to the washroom.

He stood in front of the mirror, straightening his hair and pressing a cool paper towel to his neck. He didn’t know how he was supposed to sit, in a kids movie, beside Jarome and not give into the urge to either kiss him or slap him. Jarome entered the washroom.

“You ready? The line up for food isn’t that long but I figured I should probably get seats.” Jarome rambled, rubbing his head and Sidney chucked the paper towel and said “Let’s go.”

Together they left the washroom, Jarome headed towards the theater and Sidney towards the food with a promise to bring Jarome some popcorn and a Sprite. Sidney wasn’t one for popcorn but he figured he could get a large popcorn and maybe steal some from Jarome when he wasn’t looking.

When he stepped up to the counter he ordered two medium drinks, one sprite and one Rootbeer. He added a large popcorn to that and a thing of Twizzlers for himself.

Gathering that into his arms, he stumbled towards the straw counter. He stuffed the straws into the drinks, momentarily forgetting which was which and making sure that he marked to avoid forgotteness. He pulled out his ticket and picked everything up again, carrying it towards the theater doors.

Jarome met him at the top of the stairs, grabbing the popcorn and sprite from his hands before they fell.

“C’mon I got us some seats.” Jarome said and Sidney followed him down the stairs and into the middle of the row.

There weren’t many people there. Mostly adults who had too much money on their hands and some teenage couples. A few kids were in the back rows but they weren’t a frequent sight.

Jarome set the food down and took the rest of the food from Sidney’s arms to let him sit down.

They still had about 15 minutes until the movie started so Sidney dug out his phone and pulled up his browser. Tomorrow night they were playing the Leafs. Sidney tapped on their logo and flipped through their roster, noting the players and their points. He was about to look at their record against other teams when Jarome dropped his hand onto Sidney’s phone and clicked off the screen.

“We are here to get your mind off the game. Not for you to get sucked into records and point streaks.”

“But the game is in less than 24 hours. I need to know this stuff.”

“Leave it.”

“Why can’t you let me do my research?”

“Because I’ve learned that just because one team has a bad record doesn’t mean they won’t play well one game. And just because they have a good record doesn’t mean they won’t lose a few games. So stop focusing on what they’ve done before and let your mind go blank.”

“I’m still going to look.” Sidney clicked the phone back on.

Jarome turned it off and shoved it into his own pocket.

“That’s my phone.”

“For now, it’s going off and the movie’s starting.” Jarome said sharply, shutting off the sound and tucking it back into his own pocket again.

Sidney glared at him but settled for eating a piece of licorice angrily.

The lights dimmed. And Sidney through himself head first into the movie, if only to please Jarome.


	6. Get some sleep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jarome led them upstairs and into his own room.   
> “How’s this going to help?” Sidney asked but didn’t want it to stop.   
> “Lie down.” Jarome said, pointing to the bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long to post. I've written a substantial amount on paper and now I have to type it up. Enjoy :) Comments are awesome.

Sidney felt substantially proud of himself as they stepped out into the chilly Pittsburgh air. As he listened to Jarome ramble about the movie he gave himself a pat on the back (imanginary of course). He’d survived the ROM-COM, he’d accidently chosen without doing anything too drastic. His mind strayed to the stuff he’d read earlier about the Leafs.

“Stop that.” Jarome said, eyeing him.

“What?” Sidney asked. He hadn’t been aware of doing anything.

“We’ll do fine against the leafs tomorrow.” Jarome said.

 _Are you fucking serious?Do you read minds or something?_ Sidney thought.

“Uh-huh” Sid said sighing “Can I please have my phone back?”

Jarome fished around in his jacket and pulled out Sidney’s phone. They walking in silence.

“What’s going on with you?” Jarome asked when they reached the car.

“Hm?” Sid replied, opening the door.

“You seem tense” Jarome’s hand touched Sid’s shoulder.

“Pre-game nerves. I suppose.”

“Sidney” Jarome said, shifting in his seat. “You forget that we’ve played in way more important games than this one and you weren’t ever this nervous. What’s going on?”

 _Shit._ “More pressure here.” Sidney said. _It’s our first game together. I want you to be proud of me._

Jarome sighed. “Alright. But don’t worry.

Sidney smiled fakely and turned to the road.

 

The plastic smile Sidney had given Jarome did not go un noticed. That’s why he wasn’t surprised to see a light on downstairs when he woke up in the middle of the night.

He walked downstairs to see Sidney sitting on the couch watching a Leafs game. Sidney didn’t even noticed Jarome until he sat down beside him.

“This isn’t sleep nor relaxing. “Jarome said, pausing the game.

“I can’t sleep.”

“Why not?”

“My team counts on me to know what to do. And I don’t even know what to do about the Leafs because I haven’t researched.” Sidney told him, looking away when he felt tears.

“Hey.” Jarome said, putting his arm around Sidney’s shoulders. “Tomorrow we can watch a game between morning skate and the game. And,” Jarome put up his hand when Sidney started to interrupt. “I played the leafs a few games back. I’ll help you out at practice.”

Sid looked relieved.

“Now, you need to sleep.” Jarome said.

“ I can’t.” Sidney muttered.

“Don’t you normally sleep before a game?”

“Yes.”

“Then what’s-”

“I just can’t ok?”

Jarome had never heard Sidney sound like this. It was almost vulnerable.

“Let me help you.” Jarome said, the words leaving his mouth before he knew what was going on.

“How?”

“Come with me.”

Jarome led them upstairs and into his own room.

“How’s this going to help?” Sidney asked but didn’t want it to stop.

“Lie down.” Jarome said, pointing to the bed.

Sid lay down on one side where there were no pillows. Jarome went out of the room and came back holding a pillow from Sid’s bed.

Sidney moved his head and Jarome set the pillow down. Jarome crawled into bed behind him. Sidney bit his lip.

“Now.” Jarome said, throwing an arm around Sidney’s curled body. “Go to sleep.”

Sidney wasn’t sure why it was easier to sleep with Jarome’s arms around him. But it was.

 

When Jarome’s alarm went off the next morning, Sidney was feeling well rested. His first reaction was, however, freaked out. As soon as it became apparent that no, he hadn’t had sex with Jarome Iginla and forgotten about it, he felt good. Jarome greated him with a sleepy smile. I could get used to this.

Jarome yawned and said “How’d you sleep?”

 _Great, amazing,fantastic_. “Pretty good.” Sidney said with a small smile.

They both got out of bed, surreptitiously checking that their respective lower areas were being subtle. Sidney headed downstairs to make a smoothie and Jarome was left to get dressed. He wasn't exactly sure what the dress code was for pre-game practices. but he figured he could get away with sweatpants. He searched his closet and found that he had one black suit nice enough to wear to the game. He’d apparently left the rest of his at home. He winced when he noticed a few wrinkles in the dress shirt. Maybe he could iron it during the game he’d promised Sidney they’d watch.

He made it downstairs with enough time to grab the smoothie Sid had made for him and pull on a pair of shoes before they had to leave.

Sid sped all the way there.

“Ok. Maybe next time we’ll set the alarm earlier. Sound good?” Jarome asked as they hurried into the rink.

Sidney nodded as they reached the dressing room. A name tag had been placed over a new stall for Jarome and he hurried towards it. He was sitting beside Marc who gave him a welcoming smile and then went back to putting on his goalie pads. Jarome quickly changed and then dressed at record speed. Still he was the second last one out of the dressing room.

Sidney was last. He pulled his penguins jersey over his head and when he emerged he saw Jarome standing close to him.

“You can go out. Everyone else has.” Sidney said, slipping his mouth guard.  

“I’ll wait.”

Sidney quickly pulled on his helmet and gloves. When he looked up again, Jarome was holding a stick out to Sidney. Sidney took the stick and smiled. Jarome knew that was a real smile.

 

They thought they’d made it onto the ice on time but they were wrong. The players were standing in a group watching the gate to see when their Captain and new recruit would be joining them.

 

At a waterbreak, coach Dan skated over to Sidney and with the way Sid’s posture slumped, anyone could tell that he was about to get in trouble. Jarome skated over as Dan was telling Sid what it does to the team when the captain doesn’t follow the rules.

“It was my fault.” Jarome blurted, stopping beside Sidney.

Dan raised an eyebrow. “I made us late.” That was sort of true. “And he was waiting for me in the dressing room.” Jarome added.

“Alright.” Dan said, buying the story. “Just don’t make a habit of it.”

They nodded and practice resumed as normal.

 

The final drill involved 2 on 1s and Jarome was paired with Sidney.

“You didn’t need to do that.” Sidney said, leaning in close to be heard.

Jarome shrugged. “It made you look better and besides, I’m the new guy. You could have been showing me around or something.”

Sidney gave Jarome a tap on the pads and then got back behind him in line.

They started out well with Sidney blowing by Kris and Jarome trailing just a bit behind for the back pass. But Kris doubled back and dumped Jarome on his butt. The perfectly placed pass from Sidney hit Jarome’s stick as he fell and shot into the corner. Jarome winced when he landed hard on his back. Sidney looked murderous as he skated past Kris to where Jarome was getting up.

“Are you ok?” He asked, giving Jarome a hand to the bench.

“I’m fine. I don’t need to sit down.”

“The drill is over anyway. We’re scrimmaging now.” Sidney informed him.

They took their seats on the bench and waited. Jarome wasn’t with Sid this time but he was with Kris. They were paired on the same line too.

“Sorry about that.” Kris apologized. “Just doing my job.”

“I know.” Jarome waved him off. “I should have had my head up.”

“Yes you should have.” Kris warned. “Can’t have you ending up hurt like our captain here.”

“We can’t have him getting hurt either.” Jarome added, watching as Sidney scored a beautiful goal and skated over to his group’s bench, a big smile on his face.

“You’re absolutely right.” Kris agreed, jumping over the bench to change.

 

As the practice ended they all huddled together listening to their coach speak. Sid stood right beside Jarome, same brilliant smile caressing his features. When they all turned to skate away, Sidney grabbed Jarome’s arm.

“Nice goal.” Jarome said smiling.

Sidney beamed. “I wish I could have celebrated with you though.”

“Same here.” Jarome acknowledged.

“I just remembered. Coach wants to see you once you've changed.”

“Right. I’ll take a cab home then?”

“Nah.” Sid said, “I’ll wait.

They walked into the dressing room together.


	7. Chapter 7

Jarome sat opposite to Dan. To tell the truth, he wasn’t nervous. He’d sat through meetings with both Brent and Darryl Sutter. Dan Bylsma seemed a hell of alot nicer.   
“Jarome. Hello.” Dan said, opening a file.   
“Hi.”  
“I’m going to be debriefing you. Ordinarily, Ray would be doing this but he’s a bit busy.”  
Jarome nodded.   
“So. 1st step. Rooming.”  
“I’m staying with Sidney.”  
“Permanently?”   
Jarome had to remember that Dan was asking about rooming and not relationships.   
“He said I’m his roommate, so yeah.”  
“Ok.” Dan scribbled on the pad.   
“Transportation?” He asked.   
“Sidney so far.” Jarome replied.   
“Well you two can decide but it is handy to have two cars”  
Jarome nodded.   
They talked about dress code, curfew, road trips situations and arrival times.   
“And please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions.” Dan concluded.   
“Thank you.”  
“And Jarome.” Dan said, causing Jarome to stop in the doorway. “Please keep an eye on Sidney. He’s been worrying me lately.”  
“Will do.” Jarome smiled and went to find Sidney. 

Sid was standing against the wall across from Dan’s office. He smiled when he saw Jarome.   
“How’d it go?”  
“Fine. Normal new kid stuff I guess. Thanks for waiting.”  
“Anytime.” Sidney winked. Jarome followed him out into the parking lot thinking about what Dan had said. 

When they reached the apartment, Sidney went straight upstairs to the bathroom. As soon as he heard the shower go on, Jarome went downstairs to find the Leafs game. The one Sid had been watch the night before, against St. Louis, was recorded on the DVR. Jarome flicked through the list of shows on the recording device. He noticed that, along with other normal tv shows, Sidney had every single Calgary Flames game recorded as well as a lot of Sportscenter. Had Sidney been watching all of his games? He felt a flush spread on his cheeks. He heard the shower shut off and Jarome quickly switched to the Leafs game. Sidney came downstairs dressed in a pair of Penguins track pants and a black tee.   
“Have you given any thought to lunch?” Sidney asked, running a hand through his wet hair.   
“You’re the Pittsburgh expert. Is there a lunch place around to order from?”  
“How about Pita Pit?” Sidney suggested.   
“Sounds great.”   
Sidney sat down on the couch and pulled up their menu. Jarome looked at Sidney. His moist hair curled slightly around his face, making him look more carefree.   
“You should wear your hair like that more often.” Jarome found himself saying.   
Sidney’s head snapped up. “Like what?”   
“Like curly.” Jarome said, leaning forward to touch one curl.   
“What are you doing?”   
“Touching your hair.” Jarome felt the piece of hair. It was soft and Jarome thought he looked beautiful.   
Sidney looked up to see that they were mere inches apart. Looking back on it, Sidney wasn’t exactly sure why he did what he was about to do but he figured it had to do with 2 things.   
The first thing was the look on Jarome’s face when he looked at the hair. And actually when he looked at Sidney, period. He looked sincere and like Sidney mattered.   
The second thing was that Jarome was right there and maybe it would be his only chance.   
“Kiss me.” Sidney whispered.   
Jarome obliged, pressing his lips gently against Sidney’s.   
It was almost like Sid had imagined. There was only one thing different. This was real.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed :)


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kris is really tired of your shit Sidney and Jarome.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. I got addicted to a new show and I watched 34 episodes in less than one week. That's why I haven't posted lately.   
> Please enjoy and comment :)

Kris eyed Jarome suspiciously. A smile had made its home on Sidney’s face and it didn’t look like it was going anywhere anytime soon. Kris was glad about that smile. He was suspicious of Jarome because the smile grew every time Sid looked at Jarome.   
“Stop that.” Marc said into Kris’s ear. “You look like you’re trying to burn a hole through our new teammate.”  
“He’s been sleeping with Sidney.”  
“So? You don’t have a crush on Sidney and he’s really happy.” Marc offered, “So how’s that bad?”

It was bad because it meant Sidney was only a little distracted by this whole thing. It was bad because Jarome and Sidney were inseparable during warm up. It was bad because in the Sidney-Evgeni-Jarome line’s first two shifts, the leafs scored 2 goals because, like their first ice time together, Sidney and Jarome were too busy staring at each other to see the puck was on it’s way past Marc.   
After the second goal, Kris felt so bad for Marc that he went close to him on the bench at the next commercial break. He was almost seething when Kris reached him.  
“That’s why it’s bad.” Kris pointed out.   
“I totally get that now.” Marc agreed, setting his water bottle down on the bench a little too hard.   
“The period is almost done.” Kris said looking up at the clock, “Then we’ll stop this.”

The period ended with the Penguins down 2-1. Their only goal had come by Kris, who was so frustrated that he picked up the puck and skated as hard as he could to the other end. Phil Kessel tripped him and Kris was rewarded with a penalty shot. If the puck hadn’t found a clear route into the net, Marc was sure there would have been a hole right through James Reimer.   
“That was for you.” Kris told Marc as they were heading into the dressing room.   
Kris wasn’t surprised when Dan didn’t scold Sidney or Jarome. The only thing Kris got as praise for his goal was a pat on the shoulder.   
As soon as Dan had left, Kris got to his feet and tapped his stick against the bench behind him. The rest of his team looked up. All except for Jarome and Sidney.   
“You may have noticed.” Kris began, rolling his eyes. “That some people aren’t pulling their weight today.”   
No one said anything.   
“And those people need to get their shit together.”   
Again silence. Everyone knew who Kris was talking about but they were scared to say anything. Kris was pretty sure that was due to Sidney’s smile. And honestly, Kris didn’t really care anymore.   
“Those people are sitting right there.” Kris added, pointing his stick first at Jarome and then at Sidney.   
“Now, I don’t know what is going on between you two although I have my suspicions.” Kris said, his tone almost haughty. “But whatever it is needs to stop.”  
Jarome noticed that Kris’s accent became more pronounced as his voice got louder and more passionate.   
“You.” Kris pointed at Jarome, “You’re supposed to help our team not hurt it.”  
“And you,” Kris pointed to Sidney. “You’re our captain. You’re supposed to lead us to a win not from it.  
“We rely on you to do your job. So, do it so that we can each do the jobs we’re supposed to do and not make up for your mistakes.”  
Everyone stared at Kris, some incredulously, some appraisingly and two very guiltily.   
“Yeah.” Sidney moved his eyes to the ground. “Sorry. I’ll fix that.”  
Jarome nodded as well, blushing softly.   
Kris sat back down again. Marc put an arm around his shoulder and said, “Well done.”  
Kris thought he was going to hurt someone. He was still livid even after his outburst. Marc tugged on one piece of Kris’s hair. “Calm down.”  
“I can’t.” Kris told him.   
“So what if we lose to the leafs? We can live if we lose this one.”  
“Doesn’t solve that.” Kris griped, gesturing to where Jarome and Sidney were looking at each other.   
“What do you think they did?” Beau asked, sitting down beside Kris.   
“I don’t care what they did” Kris snapped.   
Beau and Marc exchanged a glance.   
“Alright then.” Marc said, not believing Kris.  
“Lets go play.”

Sidney didn’t really want to smile any more. He wanted to look away from Jarome to focus on the game. He found that it was hard to do. He settled for watching Jarome on the bench only. That got him a too many men penalty and the leafs scored on the resulting power play. Beau watched them with an amused look while Kris sat brooding on the other side of the bench. Kris scored another goal before the period ended.   
“Way to step it up boys.” Kris muttered as he passed Jarome and Sidney.   
Sidney sighed and took a seat beside Jarome.   
“We need to do something.” Jarome said softly.   
“I know.”  
“I’m sorry.” Jarome apologized, “I shouldn’t have touched your hair.”  
“It’s my fault.” Sidney argued, “I told you to kiss me.”  
“I obliged!”   
Kris watched them argue and sat back in his stall.   
“Look,” Sidney announced to the room, “Jarome and I are really sorry about how we’ve been acting. We’ll step it up for the 3rd period.”  
Kris was debated saying something snarky but simultaneous looks from Beau and Marc made him keep his mouth shut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I go back to school tomorrow. Posts will not be very frequent.


End file.
